AT  /    '  '    f  '  1 


y 


/ 


Issued  February  4,   1910 


U.S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE, 

BUREAU  OF  PLANT  [NDUSTRY  -Circular  No.  45. 
B.   I.  GALLOWAY,  Chief  of  Bureau. 


THE  UTILIZATION  OF  PEA-CANNERY 
REFUSE  FOR  FORAGE. 


M.  A.CROSBY, 
Assistant  Agriculturist,  Office  of  Farm  Management. 


WASHINGTON   :  GOVERNMENT   PRINTING  OFFICE    :   1910 


DOCUMENTS  DEPT 


i  DEPOSITORY 


BUREAU  OF  PLANT  INDUSTRY. 


Chief  of  Bureau,  Beverly  T.  Galloway. 

Assistant  Chief  of  Bureau,  Albert  F.  w is. 

Editor,  J.  E.  Rockwell. 
Chief  Clerk,  James  E.  Jones. 


[Cir.  45 

2 


II  p  I 


THE  UTILIZATION  OF  PEA-CANNERY 
REFUSE  FOR  FORAGE. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Mosl  of  the  peas  grown  for  canning  purposes  are  produced  in  the 
States  of  Ww  York.  Wisconsin,  Indiana,  Ohio,  Illinois,  Michigan, 
\  '\\  Jersey,  and  Maryland.  This  branch  of  the  canning  indust  rv  has 
made  greal  growth  during  the  pasl  lew  years  and  is  being  rapidl} 
extended  to  new  territory,  especially  hi  those  States  where  it  is  already 
established. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  pea-canning  industry  it  was  the  practice 
to  pick  the  green  pods  from  the  vines  and  shell  them  by  hand,  a  slow 
and  laborious  process.  With  the  invention  of  the  "viner,"  a  machine 
for  thrashing  peas  out  of  the  green  pods,  hand  shelling  has  been  largelj 
doneawaj  with  and  the  canning  indusl  ry  given  a  tremendous  impetus. 
Where  these  viners  arc  used,  the  peas  can  be  cut  with  a  mower, 
hauled  in  the  cannery,  and  thrashed  while  green.  This  leaves  the 
can ne r  with  a  large  quantity  of  refuse  vines  to  be  disposed  of  in  some 

U  :i\  . 

When  the  growing  of  peas  for  canning  purposes  first  began  to  be 
extensively  engaged  in,  the  feeding  value  of  the  refuse  vines  was  qoI 
fully  appreciated  and  the  canners  experienced  no  little  difficult}  in 
keeping  the  factories  free  from  this  waste.  At  sonic  factories  the 
canners  required  the  farmers  who  were  growing  peas  for  t  hem  to  I  ake 
aw  a\  a  load  of  \  hies  for  every  load  of  peas  hauled  to  t  he  cannery.  At 
others  the  vines  were  dumped  in  piles  near  the  factor}  and  later 
hauled  out  for  manure.  When  these  waste  vines  were  allowed  to 
accumulate  in  loose  piles  near  the  factor}  a  rapid  decomposition 
would  set  in,  and  the  stench  from  this  decaying  mass  of  vegetable 
matter  would  he  almost  unbearable.  As  a  result  of  this  condition 
the  refuse  vines  were  often  hauled  out  and  dumped  in  immense  piles 
at  some  distance  from  the  factory  and  later  hauled  away  by  the  farm 
ers  and  used  as  a  fert  ilizer.  Tliis  pract  ice  i>  st  ill  in  \  ogue  in  some  sei 
tions  w  here  the  feeding  value  of  t  he  vines  i->  nut  yel  appreciated. 

The  dumping  of  vines  in  large  piles  soon  led  to  the  discovery  that 
quite  a  percentage  of  the  vines  thus  hand  led  was  preserved  like  silage 

[fir.  45] 


4  UTILIZATION    OF    PEA-CANNERY    RE-FUSE    FOB    FORAGE. 

and  greedily  eaten  by  stock,  especially  cattle  and  slice)).  The  larger 
the  pile  of  vines  and  the  more  they  were  trampled  in  piling  the 
smaller  the  percentage  of  spoiled  material.  From  this  discovery 
developed  the  practice  of  stacking  the  vines  in  order  to  save  them, 
when  previously  the  only  question  to  be  solved  was  how  to  get  rid 
of  them.  When  the  vines  are  carefully  put  up  in  large,  well-trampled 
stacks,  the  decomposition  is  reduced  to  a  minimum  and  the  unpleasant 
odor  is  much  less  in  evidence,  thus  making  it  possible  to  stack  them 
quite  near  the  cannery  without  disagreeable  results. 

In  other  sections  a  short  hay  crop  led  the  farmers  to  undertake 
curing  pea  vines  for  hay,  and  they  soon  discovered  that  the  valuable 
forage  thus  secured  paid  them  handsomely  for  their  trouble. 

PRESENT    METHODS    OF    UTILIZING    THE    REFUSE    VINES. 

Several  methods  of  utilizing  refuse  pea  vines  are  in  use  at  present. 
These  are  as  silage,  as  hay,  as  a  green  feed  or  soiling  crop,  and  as  a 
fertilizer.  During  the  season  of  190S  a  large  amount  of  data  on 
methods  of  utilizing  this  by-product  was  obtained  from  canners, 
farmers,  and  feeders  throughout  the  pea-growing  sections.  The  data 
obtained  show  that  96  canneries  handled  the  peas  grown  on  a  total  of 
65,959  acres,  and  that  the  refuse  vines  from  40,518  acres,  or  61  per  cent 
of  the  total,  were  used  as  silage;  from  13,785  acres,  or  21  percent,  as 
hay;  from  7,731  acres,  or  12  per  cent,  as  a  green  feed  or  soiling  crop, 
and  that  from  the  remaining  3,925  acres,  or  6  per  cent,  the  refuse 
vines  were  either  used  as  a  fertilizer  or  thrown  away. 

PEA-VINE   SILAGE. 

From  the  figures  just  presented  it  is  evident  that  the  most  popular 
method  of  using  pea  vines  is  as  silage,  and  where  the  cannery  is 
located  in  a  dairy  section  this  is  almost  universally  the  system  in 
practice.  The  same  statement  is  also  true  for  some  of  the  sections 
where  sheep  and  cattle  feeding  are  popular  industries. 

There  are  two  ways  of  making  silage  from  pea  vines,  i.  e.,  in  large 
stacks  and  in  silos.  The  practice  of  putting  the  vines  in  large  stacks 
is  the  one  most  commonly  employed,  especially  where  practically  all 
the  vines  from  a  cannery  are  handled  l>\  the  canner  or  by  one  or  two 
other  persons.  At  many  factories  it  has  become  a  custom  for  the 
canners  to  put  the  vines  up  in  stacks  or  silos  and  either  to  sell  the 
silage  to  fanners  and  feeders  in  the  winter  or  to  buy  stock  and  feed  it 
out  themselves,  thus  realizing  a  profit  on  what  was  formerly  a  waste 
product.  At  other  factories  one  or  more  fanners  or  stock  feeders 
will  contract  to  keep  the  refuse  vines  cleared  away  for  what  they  can 
gel  out  of  them.  Still  another  practice  is  for  the  fanner  who  brings 
[CIr.   15] 


UTILIZATION    OF    PEA-CANNERY    REFUSE    FOR    FORAGE.  5 

M  load  of  peas  i"  ilif  Factor)  to  take  home  his  quota  of  vines,  jus!  as 
the  dairyman  takes  his  load  of  whole  milk  to  the  creamery  and  tlien 
lake-,  the  separated  milk  home  to  feed. 

Where  a  large  quantity  of  vines  is  to  be  put  up  for  winter  feed  by 
one  man  and  care  is  exercised  in  having  the  stacks  well  built,  well 
drained,  and  thoroughly  packed,  the  stacking  method  is  undoubtedly 
the  most  economical  way  of  handling  the  vines.  Wil  h  proper  care  the 
vines  from  300  acres  or  more  can  lie  stacked  with  very  lit  tie  loss,  and 
it  l-  doubtful  whether  it  would  pay  to  go  to  the  expense  of  construct- 
silos  where  this  quantity  i-  to  he  handled.  Careless  stacking, 
though,  will  invariably  result  in  the  loss  of  a  lot  of  valuable  feed. 
Smaller  quantities  than  that  mentioned  can  probably  he  most  eco- 
nomically saved  in  a  silo,  and  many  who  have  tried  both  methods 
favor  the  latter  under  all   circumstances. 


Flo.  1.— stack-  of  pea-\  ine  silage,  showing  i tie  sloping  sides  where  the  vines  are  carted  to  the  (oi>of  the 

stack. 

At  some  factories  the  vines  are  pul  into  large  stack-,  one  side  of 
which  i-  left  sloping  see  fig.  L),so  thai  a  cart  loaded  with  vine-  may 
be  drawn  up  and  the  horse  and  cart  driven  around  on  top  of  the  stack, 
thus  thorough!)  compacting  the  vines.  At  other  factories  the  vine- 
are  conveyed  directl)  to  the  -tack  b)  means  of  a  carrier  (see  fig.  -' 
and  trampled  by  the  men  who  are  doing  the  stacking.  The  stacks 
should  always  he  well  drained  underneath,  so  that  the  surplus  juice 
may  ooze  out  and  he  carried  away  in  ditches.  When  properly  built 
and  well  packed  only  about  8  indie-  of  t  lie  outside  mass  will  spoil. 

Where  the  vines  are  kepi  in  the  silo  the)  ma)  be  put  in  just  a-  t  hey 
come  from  the  viner  or  they  may  he  run  through  a  silage  cutter  first. 
When  they  are  put  in  as  they  come  from  the  viner  the)  require  more 

I  fir.  45] 


6 


UTILIZATION    OF    PEA-CANNERY   REFUSE    FOR    FORAGE. 


trampling  and  packing  than  when  run  through  the  cutter.  The  silo 
should  always  be  filled  as  rapidly  as  possible,  for  if  the  filling  extends 
over  a  period  of  several  weeks,  the  length  of  the  pea-canning  season, 
the  silage  will  spoil  and  be  unlit  for  feeding.  For  this  reason  it  will 
hardly  be  practicable  for  a  farmer  or  dairyman  who  lives  at  some  dis- 
tance from  the  cannery  to  put  the  vines  in  a  silo  unless  he  has  plenty 
of  teams  and  labor  and  can  get  all  the  vines  he  needs. 

FEEDING    VALUE    OF   THE    SILAGE. 

The  silage  made  from  the  refuse  pea  vines  is  generally  regarded  as 
possessing  a  high  feeding  value  for  dairy  cows  and  other  animals 
when  a  succulent  feed  is  desired.  There  is  some  difference  of  opinion, 
however,  regarding  its  value  as  compared  with  corn  silage.  Most 
dairymen  who  have  had  extensive  experience  in  feeding  both  are  of 


Fig.  2. — Stacks  of  pea-vine  sikuje,  showing  the  carrier  used  for  conveying  tin  \  Ines  to  the  slack. 

tin'  opinion  that  the  pea-vine  silage  produces  a  greater  llo\\  of  milk 
than  does  corn  silage.  On  the  other  hand,  a  few  contend  that  when 
a  change  is  made  from  corn  silage  to  pea-vine  silage  there  is  always  a 
perceptible  falling  off  in  the  milk  production.  The  latter,  however, 
arc  decidedly  in  the  minority.  Some  cases  of  this  nature  were  found 
to  he  due  to  the  fact  that  the  pea-vine  silage  was  partially  spoiled, 
and  it  i>  possible  that  .-ill  unfavorable  results  could  be  traced  to 
similar  condit  ions. 

The  following  table  shows  the  composition  of  pea-vine  silage  from 
different  sources  in  comparison  with  corn  silage. 
[Cir.    I.".] 


i    NLIZATION    OF    PEA-CANNERY     REFUS]     FOB    FORAGE. 
Table    I       Compos  orn  silage  and  pi  lage. 


Kiii'l  ol 


Corn  (i:( 

Corn  (mature  corn 

Pea  vine  6  . 


Nitrogen- 

Moisture. 

Protein. 

Fat . 

Fiber. 

free 

\sh 

Per  a  ni. 

1'ir  cent. 

I'i  r  ci  ill. 

extract. 

I'i  r  ci  nl. 

/'/  f  CI  III 

71.46 

•  i-  «* I 

16.64 

1.44 

• 

1.2S 

- 

1  :il 

67.  37 

t.29 

- 

:t  73 

9.  62 

10.97 

L'    10 

"  Vnnual  Report,  Wl  perlment  Station,  1904. 

lysis  by  Prof.  Geoi  •   •■'•    i       inaugh,  Cornell  Cniversity,  Ithaca,  N    "> 

It  will  be  -tin  thai  pea-Nine  silage  is  richer  in  protein  than  is  coin 
silage,  about  the  same  in  fat,  but  nut  quite  so  rich  in  nitrogen-free 
exl  racl . 

PEA-VINE    SILAGE    FOR    DAIRY    COWS. 

The  result-  "1'  few  carefully  conducted  feeding  experiments  with 
pea-vine  silage  for  dab?)  cow-  are  recorded.  Mr.  Joseph  Gerber,  who 
owns  a  small  <lair\  in  Fremont,  Mich.,  conducted  a  ninety-da)  tesl 
with  corn  silage,  pea  silage,  and  clover  ha\ .  feeding  twelve  cows  dur- 
ing the  entire  tesl  1  pounds  a  da)  ol' a  mixture  of  equal  pari-  of  corn 
meal  ami  oil  meal.  The  silage  and  hay  were  not  weighed,  hut  the 
animals    were   allowed    to    bave   what    the)     would    eat    up   clean.       The 

milk  was  separated  and  the  cream  -old.  No  record  was  kepi  of  the 
milk  produced,  the  receipts  for  cream  only  being  taken  into  con- 
sideration. 

For  the  lir-t  thirty-da)  period,  ending  March  31,  the  cow-  were 
fed  on  corn  silage  and  i  he  receipts  for  cream  were  >s7.  For  t  he  next 
thirt)  days  they  were  U'i\  pea-vine  silage  and  the  receipts  for  cream 
were  $96.  During  the  last  thirty-day  period  clover  hay  was  W'A  and 
the  receipt-  for  cream  were  onl)  $66.  These  results  show  a  slighl 
increase  in  favor  of  pea-vine  silage  over  corn  silage. 

Pea-vine  silage  is  especially  valuable  for  late  summer  feeding, 
when  pastures  are  short  and  before  new  corn  silage  i-  available.  A 
prominent  Michigan  dairyman  States  that  a-  a  resull  of  three  years' 
experience  lie  i-  -at  i -lied  that  pea-vine  silage  i-  as  good  or  better  than 
com  silage,  provided  it  is  properl)  kept.  He  prefer-  it  to  corn  silage 
for  summer  feeding.  One  year  he  fed  aboul  75  ton-,  with  good 
results. 

In  some  localities  where  the  canners  are  selling  silage  the  farmers 
are  hauling  it  a-  many  a-  7  miles  to  \\'ci\  their  dair\  COWS  and  are 
getting  considerably  increased  yields  of  milk.  In  some  cases  the) 
report  getting  one-third  more  milk  by  feeding  the  silage. 

A  New  York  dairyman  states  that  in  his  experience  when  pea 
silage  i-  led  with  the  same  quantit)  of  grain  it  will  produce  more 
milk  than  corn  silage.     lie  doe-  nol   consider  it   a-  good   for  othei 

[Clr.   I.".] 


8  I  TILIZATION    OF    PEA-CANNERY   REFUSE    FOR    FORAGE. 

stock,  with  the  exception  of  sheep,  as  corn  silage.  He  winters  about 
50  head  of  cattle  and  when  spring  comes  they  are  always  in  good 
condition.  The  only  objection  he  has  to  the  silage  is  the  bad  odor 
and  the  fact  that  it  is  very  heavy  to  handle. 

The  principal  objection  raised  to  pea-vine  silage  is  thai  it  some- 
times taints  the  milk.  Tins  may  be  prevented  by  postponing  feeding 
until  after  milking. 

Another  dairyman  states  that  he  secured  the  best  results  by  alter- 
nating pea-vine  silage  with  com  silage,  feeding  one  for  two  or  three 
weeks,  then  changing  to  the  other.  The  pea-vine  silage  invariably 
increased  the  flow  of  milk,  but  also  tended  to  decrease  its  keeping 
qualities. 

PEA-VINE    SILAGE    FOR    BEEF    CATTLE. 

Pea-vine  silage  has  little  value  as  a  fat  producer,  but  regardless  of 
this  fact  it  is  very  highly  regarded  as  a  supplementary  feed  for  heel' 
cattle.  Quite  a  number  of  feeders  are  using  the  silage,  and  almost 
invariably  they  claim  that  their  cattle  keep  in  much  better  condition 
than  where  no  silage  is  fed.  One  New  York  canner  writes  that  he 
annually  feeds  from  250  to  275  steers  on  the  refuse  vines  from  his 
factory.  He  begins  feeding  silage  with  a  little  corn  meal  in  the  winter. 
The  amount  of  meal  is  gradually  increased  until  the  animals  are  on 
a  full  ration.  They  are  usually  finished  off  ami  ready  for  beef  early 
in  June. 

The  following  is  extracted  from  a  letter  from  a  canning  company 
at  Rome,  N.  Y. : 

We  have  used  the  silo  for  many  years  in  which  to  preserve  this  by-product.  We 
grow  from  700  to  1,000  acres  of  peas  in  connection  with  our  plant,  and  the  waste  from 
this,  as  well  as  from  what  the  farmers  grow  for  us,  we  find  very  valuable  for  both  horses 
and  cattle.  We  use  no  hay  whatever  in  feeding  our  stock,  including  the  work  horses, 
and  they  seem  to  enjoy  the  feed  and  thrive  on  it.  In  the  fall  we  usually  purchase 
several  hundred  head  of  cattle,  which  we  winter,  feeding  them  on  silage  exclusively. 
In  this  way  we  secure  fertilizer  to  assist  in  keeping  up  our  farm.  The  farmers  in  the 
vicinity  would  be  glad  to  buy  all  the  silage  we  have,  hut  we  prefer  to  keep  the  manure 
for  our  farms.  We  have  handled  this  waste  in  silos  and  by  other  methods  for  many 
years,  and  after  varied  experiences  have  finally  concluded  that  this  i>  the  besl  method. 

PEA-VINE    SILAGE    FOE    SHEEP. 

In  many  sections  of  New  York  and  Wisconsin  pea-vine  silage  has 
come  to  be  very  highly  regarded  as  a  feed  for  slice)).  In  Wisconsin 
a  large  number  of  lambs  and  wethers  that  are  being  fattened  for  the 
market  are  fed  on  this  silage  in  preference  to  any  other  roughage. 
The  common  practice  is  to  take  the  sheep  off  of  the  pastures  about 
the  1st  of  November  and  put  them  on  a  ration  of  silage  and  corn 
meal.  At  first  they  are  given  about  10  pounds  of  silage  and  from 
one-half  to  1  pound  of  meal  each  day.  The  quantity  of  silage  is 
[Cir.  45] 


UTILIZATION    OF    PEA-CANNER"V    REFUSE    FOR    FORAGE.  9 

gradually  decreased  and  the  meal  increased,  until  al  the  end  of  thirty 
or  forty  days-  the}  are  getting  6  pounds  of  silage  and  about  2  pounds 
of  corn  meal,      li  generally  takes  from  forty  to  fifty  days  to  lit  sheep 

for  the  market  on  a  ration  of  this  kind.  The  silage  i  not  credited 
with  having  any  particular  vali  e  a-  a  fat  producer.  It--  great  value 
lies  in  the  fact  that  it  keeps  the  animals  in  good  condition,  so  that 
i  hc\  can  bel  ter  assimilate  the  grain. 

It  seems  to  la-  quite  generally  conceded  that  a  line  qualitj  of 
mutton  is  produced  l>\  feeding  pea-vine  silage  that  is  well  kept.  In 
the  fall  of  puis  ;i  loi  of  lij  western  wethers  thai  had  been  fed  on 
pea-vine  silage  and  corn  in  Wisconsin  for  fifty  days  topped  the 
Chicago  market  for  heavj  exporl  sheep  the  day  the}'  were  sold. 

Tea-Nine  silage  is  an  excellent  winter  feed  for  breeding  ewes.  Its 
laxative  qualities  keep  the  bowels  in  good  condition  and  it  produces 
a  large  llow  of  milk.  Some  sheep  bicedeis  who  have  had  quite  an 
extensive  experience  in  feeding  ibis  silage  prefer  it  to  anything  else 
they  can  gel  for  their  breeding  ewe-.  One  large  Breeder  in  western 
N  w  York  winters  annually  from  600  to  700  breeding  ewes  on  pea-vine 
silage  and  alfalfa  hay,  without  any  grain.  His  ration  is  o'.  pounds  of 
silage  and  '_'  pounds  of  alfalfa  bay  for  each  head  daily.  I  lis  ewes 
come  through  the  winter  in  line  condition,  and  their  Iambs,  which 
come  in  May.  an-  invariabb.  strong  and  healthy.  He  states  that  he 
considers  this  silage  superior  to  all  other  i'^i'd  for  breeding  ewes. 

Pea-vine  silage  has  been  very  successfully  used  as  an  .exclusive 
roughage  ration  for  horses-,  beef  cattle,  and  sheep.  When  Used  in 
this  way,  the  animals  are  usually  \\~i\  all  t  bey  will  eat  up  clean.  I  [orses 
and  cattle  w  ill  consume  fro  in  lit  to  80  pounds  a  day,  w  bile  sheep  will 
eat   from  t'»  to  1  2  pounds  daily. 

MARKET    \   Ml   E    OF    PEA-VIXE    -H    USE. 

The  selling  price  of  pea-A  me  silage  varies  considerably.  Some  can- 
ners  put  it  up  in  stacks  and  sell  it  in  l  he  winter  at  $1  a  load .  Others 
sell  it  at  from  $1.50  to  $3  a  ton.  After  farmers,  especially  those 
engaged  in  dairying,  have  learned  the  value  of  this  feed  the  canners, 

a-  a  rule,  can  not   supply  the  demand  at   s:;  a  ton. 

PEA-VINE  HAY. 

The  curing  of  pea  vines  for  hay  is  a  common  method  of  handling 
them  in  many  sections.  This  is  a  popular  practice  when  the  farmer 
is  supposed  to  take  home  hi-  quota  of  \  ines.  Farmers  living  near  the 
factory  generally  take  the  freshly  thrashed  vines  home  and  spread 
t  hem  out  to  cure  on  sod  land,  while  those  who  live  some  distance  awaj 
Usually  spread  the  vines  oul  to  cure  mi  \  a  cant  land  near  t  he  factory. 
At  some  factories,  if  there  happens  to  be  a  surplus  of  vines  from  the 

[Clr.    I.".  | 


10 


I  TIIJZATION    OF    PEA-CANNERY    REFUSE    FOR    FORAGE. 


peas  grown,  cither  by  the  farmers  or  by  the  company,  these  are  cured 
by  the  company  (see  ii^;.  3)  and  sold  to  the  farmers  at  about  the  cost 
of  curing.  This  price  runs  from  $3.50  to  $4  a  ton,  and  many  farmers, 
especially  those  living  some  distance  from  the  factory,  prefer  to  pay 
this  rather  than  bother  with  curing  the  vines  themselves. 

Pea-vine  hay  is  greatly  relished  by  horses,  cattle,  and  sheep. 
Many  dairymen  prefer  it  to  the  best  clover  hay  as  a  roughage  for 
their  cattle.  In  the  winter  even  hogs  will  eat  quantities  of  it,  and 
it  is  an  excellent  feed  for  brood  sows. 

There  is  considerable  difference  of  opinion  regarding  the  value  of 
the  hay  as  compared  with  the  silage.  Men  who  have  tried  both  are 
divided  in  opinion,  some  contending  that  the  hay  is  far  superior  and 


Fig.  '■'>. — Curing  vines  for  hay  a!  a  canning  factory. 

more  economical  to  handle,  while  others  claim  just  the  opposite. 
It  is  generally  conceded,  however,  that  properly  cured  pea-vine  hay 
is  superior  to  clover  hay  for  dairy  cows.  Some  dairymen  go  s<»  far 
as  to  say  that  they  consider  pea-vine  hay  worth  twice  as  much  as 
clover  hay,  hut  this  is  undoubtedly  an  exaggeration. 

Pea-vine  hay  is  also  a  good  feed  for  work  horses  and  mules  and  is 
especially  valuable  for  conditioning  thin,  overworked  animals.  In 
giving  his  experience  wit  h  pea-vine  silage  and  bay,  Mr.  .1.  F.  Guenl  her. 
of  Owensboro,  Ky.,  made  the  following  statement  : 

We  used  a  large  silo  and  put  our  pea  vines  In  it  the  first  year  we  packed  pea-.     We 

found  that  neither  farmers  nor  dairymen  would  buy  our  silage  from  us.    The  nexl 

year  we  < Irie<  1  (he  pea  vines  and  found  this  was  much  better  than  making  silage  from 

i  In  •in.     Pea  vine  hay  is  so  far  superior  to  silage  that  there  is  no  comparison.     Besides, 

I  Cir.   I-'.  | 


UTILIZATION    OF   PEA-CAN  N  ER'i     R]  MM      FOR    FOB  VGE.  1  I 

the  I ia \  can  be  haled  and  Btored  awaj  and  has  a  markel  value  in  any  Bection  of  the 

country,  whereas  you  are  confined  to  your  own  immediate  neighbor] I  in  the  pea 

silage. 

Vfter  getting  done  with  our  farm  work  we  had  a  large  number  of  horses  and  mules  on 
hand  and  |>ui  them  i"  work  at  railroad  excavating.  When  they  came  hack  they  were 
in  pretty  thin  order  and  very  much  the  worse  for  wear  We  buill  a  verj  lac  ■ 
out  in  a  lot  we  had,  so  thai  the  mules  and  tin-  horses  could  go  to  the  pea  \  ines  and  eal 
.dl  thej  wanted  With  tin-  addition  of  a  small  amount  of  grain  all  the  horses  and 
mules  were  seal  lat  inside  of  six  weeks  I  have  never  fed  anything  that  improved 
stock  bo  rapid  1\  as  these  pea  \ 

(  I   RING    Till      VINES     Mil:     II  \1 

I ii  curing  pea  vines  for  hay  they  should  be  taken  direct ly  from  1  lie 
viner,  spread  out  orj  the  ground,  and  left  during  the  day.  The  next 
morning,  after  the  sun  has  dried  the  <lt'\\  nil',  the}  should  be  thor- 
oughly stirred  up  with  forks  or  a  tedder.  It'  the  weather  conditions 
are  favorable,  the}  should  be  stirred  up  again  after  noon  and  then 
raked  into  windrows  and  put  up  in  cocks.  The  next  day  the}  can 
lie  stacked  or  stored  in  the  hunt  of  shed.  When  the  cured  vines  are 
stacked  the}  should  he  covered  with  some  material  which  will  shed 
rain,  as  they  readily  take  up  water  and  are  easily  spoiled  when  wet. 

In  settled  weather  .a  good  practice  is  to  spread  the  vines  out  and 
let  them  lie  in  the  SUB  for  a  da\  :  then  put  them  up  in  cock-  and  let 
them  remain  lor  three  or  lour  days.  The  cocks  should  be  opened 
and  the  vines  spread  out  on  a  brighl  day  so  .as  to  dry  out  the  hay  in 
the  bottom,  which  sometimes  absorbs  considerable  moisture,  and 
t  hen  hauled  tot  he  barn.  Some  make  a  pracl  ice  of  sprinkling  •">  or  ti 
pounds  of  salt  over  each  load  as  it   is  placed  in  the  harit.  believing 

that   this  increases  the  palatahiht\    of  the  hay. 

MARK  II     \  \l.ll.    <  U     PEA-VINE    II  \t  . 

1 1  is  rat  her  difficult  to  del  ermine  t  he  market  value  of  pea-vine  ha} . 
as  the  greater  portion  of  it  is  fed  by  the  producer.  Where  it  has  been 
sold,  however,  the  prices  quoted  range  all  the  way  from  $4.50  to  $20 
a  ton.  1  he  average  being  about  $12  when  clover  ha}  is  worth  $10. 

PEA  VINES  AS  A   SOILING  CROP. 

A-  a  green  feed  or  soiling  crop  the  refuse  pea  vines  tire  probably 
the  equal  of  any  crop  grown.     Dairymen  universalis  agree  that  feed 
tng  the  green  vines  increases  |  he  flow  of  milk.     The  use  of  vines  as  a 
soiling  crop,   however,  is  confined   to  a  comparatively  limited  area 
in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  a  carmen  or  viner. 

PEA   VINES  AS  A  FERTILIZER. 

Tea  vines  have  considerable  value  when  used  a-  a  fertilizer,  espe- 
cially on  >oiU  that  are  deficient  in  humus.     Thej  are  rich  in  that  all 

I  fir.    l.-.l 


12  UTILIZATION    OF    PEA-CAN XEEY    REFUSE    FOR    FORAGE. 

important  element  of  plant  food,  nitrogen.     The  following  analysis 
was  made  by  Prof.  George  W.  Cavanaugh,  of  Cornell  University: 

Moisture 72.800  per  cent. 

Nitrogen 0.585  per  cent,  or  11.7  pounds  a  ton. 

Phosphoric  acid. .' 0.1 1 1  per  cent,  or  2.22  pounds  a  ton. 

Potash 0.482  per  cent,  or  8.64  pounds  a  ton. 

At  current  prices  the  fertilizing  value  of  1  ton  of  pea  vines  would 
be  as  follows : 

Nitrogen,  1 1.7  pounds,  at  L8  cents  a  pound $2.  II 

Phosphoric  acid,  2.22  pounds,  at  44  cents  a  pound 10 

Potash,  s.iit  pounds,  at  4 A  cents  a  pound 39 

Total  value  per  ton 2.  60 

From  these  figures  it  will  be  seen  that  the  refuse  vines  have  a  fer- 
tilizing value  of  $2.60  a  ton,  which  makes  them  well  worth  using  for 
this  purpose.  It  would  be  much  better  economy,  however,  to  feed 
the  vines  either  as  a  soiling  crop,  as  silage,  or  as  hay,  and  to  save. the 
droppings  from  the  animals  fed,  in  this  way  serving  a  twofold  pur- 
pose. As  but  a  small  part  of  the  fertilizer  constituents  is  lost  in  pass- 
ing through  an  animal,  the  droppings,  if  carefully  saved,  are  nearly 
as  valuable  for  fertilizing  as  the  whole  vines. 

SUMMARY. 

The  refuse  vines  from  pea  canneries  tire  valuable  as  sihtge,  as  hay, 
as  a  soiling  crop,  and  as  a  fertilizer.  Their  use  as  silage  is  the  most 
general  practice.     They  may  be  ensilaged  either  in  a  silo  or  in  a  stack. 

Pea-vine  silage  compares  very  favorably  with  corn  silage  and  In- 
many  is  regarded  as  superior,  especially  for  dairy  cows.  It  is  also 
valuable  for  beef  cattle  and  sheep  and  is  sometimes  fed  to  horses, 
mules,  ami  hogs.  It  has  been  successfully  used  as  an  exclusive 
roughage  for  dairy  ami  beef  cattle,  sheep,  and  even  horses. 

Pea-vine  hay  is  a  valuable  feed  for  all  classes  of  stock.  It  is  of  ex- 
ceptional value  for  milch  cows  and  sheep  and  for  conditioning  thin 
stock,  especially  horses  and  mules.  It  is  generally  considered  to  be 
equal  or  even  superior  to  clover  hay. 

Pea  vines  are  valuable  as  a  soiling  crop,  but  their  use  as  such  is 
limited  to  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  cannery  or  viner. 

As  a  manure,  pea  vines  have  an  actual  fertilizer  value  of  about 
$2.60  a  ton. 

Approved: 

eJAMEs  Wilson, 

Seen  tary  of  Agriculture. 

Washington,  1).  ('.,  December  •>',  1909. 

It'ir.  451 

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UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 


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